For Assistance with U.S. Government Documents

Research and Instructional Services

Van Pelt Library

University of Pennsylvania

library@pobox.upenn.edu

215-898-7556

Documents at Penn

The Penn Libraries have been a selective depository for U.S. government documents since the end of the 19th century and holds a strong collection of documents back to the founding of the nation. While Franklin, the Penn Library Catalog, provides access to bibliographic records for much of this material, the Library has many documents, particularly in microfiche, that are incompletely cataloged. Many documents in digital format, both subscription and online are also available.

As a Federal Depository Library Program participant, the Penn Libraries make U.S. government documents received through the depository program available for the free use of the general public. The Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center is the physical point of access for using the Penn Libraries' Federal Depository Library Program collection. Information for general public access to the depository collection is provided in this access policy statement:

Records of documents since July 1976. Links to some full-text. Updated daily. Records for publications dating back to the late 1800s are being added. CGP the central point for locating new and historical Government publications. (public site)

MetaLib is a federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online.

U.S. government's official web portal. USA.gov was legislatively mandated through Section 204 of the E-Government Act of 2002. Since 2002, USA.gov has received an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress. (public site)

ProQuest Legislative Insight provides full-text PDF scans of many legislative documents. Legislative Insight organizes these documents by their affiliation with a particular piece of (passed) legislation

Documents at Penn

Print

The Penn Library holds many government publications in print form. Print titles are cataloged and shelved in the Libraries or in LIBRA Storage. Records of cataloged documents are listed in Franklin.

Readex Microfiche, 1980-1985.

[Van Pelt Library]From January 1980 to December 1985, the Readex republication of all depository documents was received on microfiche. The Library discontinued this subscription in 1985. This microfiche is interfiled with the depository microfiche described below.

Depository Microfiche, 1981- .

[Van Pelt Library]Penn Library selects approximately 30% of the U.S. government documents available on deposit. While some depository documents are received in paper and are cataloged in Franklin, a larger number are available only on microfiche. Documents on microfiche are arranged by SuDocs number. Use the print Monthly Catalog, WorldCat, and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications to find SuDocs numbers.

[LIBRA Storage: Microprint #5].For January 1956 through December 1980, the Library has a complete collection of U.S. Government depository publications on microprint. Documents can be identified by using the print Monthly Catalog, in which depository documents are marked by a 'bullet'. The microprint is arranged by year and MoCat entry number. LIBRA requests should include "Microprint #5" and the MoCat number.

Classic Indexes to U.S. Government Publications

[Van Pelt Library Reference Stacks: Z 1223 A13]The most complete index to all types of U.S. documents for the period 1893-1940. Lists government authors, personal authors, and subjects in a single alphabet and gives full bibliographic information at each entry, including Serial Set numbers when present